Broadway again raids Capital Region talent

Niskayuna 10-year-old is cast in 'Matilda the Musical' on Broadway

By Steve Barnes

Published 9:56 pm, Thursday, December 12, 2013

Gabriella Pizzolo, a 10-year-old from Niskayuna, is the latest Capital Region child to be cast in a Broadway show.

Pizzolo, the daughter of Natalie and David Pizzolo, is one of four young actresses who will take over the title role in the musical "Matilda the Musical," based on the Roald Dahl novel of the same name. They will succeed the quartet of performers who originated the role and have performed in rotation since the show opened in April.

Pizzolo and her new co-stars are due to start performing in the next few weeks, according to industry reports. It will be her Broadway debut, though she was a finalist to be among the first four leads in "Matilda," said Pizzolo's voice teacher, Lisa Franklin, who runs Vocal Studio of Lisa Franklin in Loudonville. According to Franklin, after Pizzolo was passed over for the show's opening cast, she was called back and was selected as a replacement in June and began rehearsals in September, though the family was prohibited from discussing the news until it was announced by the show's producers.

"She's a triple threat," Franklin said of Pizzolo, — skilled in singing, acting and dancing.

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Locally, Pizzolo has appeared in "The Sound of Music" and "Les Miserables" at Schenectady Light Opera and, last summer, in "Shrek" at Park Playhouse.

Pizzolo's mother, who is with her in New York City, according to Franklin, did not return a call seeking comment.

Pizzolo is the seventh of Franklin's vocal students to be cast in a Broadway show. Among them is her son Charlie, 21, a senior in musical theater at Pace University, who has just been named as a cast member of the forthcoming production of "The Bridges of Madison County." The show premiered over the summer at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and will move to Broadway in February. Franklin's younger son, George, 13, was on Broadway in "A Christmas Story" last year and is currently in Chicago with the touring production of "Elf," a musical adaptation of the 2003 movie that starred Will Ferrell.